COLLECTION INFORMATION FORM

PRELIM 1. Catalog No. S2360

X FINAL 2. Accession No. 2392

NORTHEAST MINNESOTA HISTORICAL CENTER

3. COLLECTION TITLE: Reverend Frederick Baraga Papers

and

INCLUSIVE DATES: 1835-1860

4. DONOR (name & address): Victoria Gokee, Route 1, Box 94, Bayfield, Wisconsin, and Vertical Files of St. Louis County Historical Society

5. Date Received: 3/13/79

6. Restrictions: None

7. No. of Boxes: 1

8. No. of Vol. (in boxes):

9. Linear Inches or Feet: .5 ft.

10. No. of Vol. (outside boxes):

11. Number of Items (Small Collection):

12. Donor Agreement Form Signed (date): 3/13/79

ABSTRACT SUMMARY OF COLLECTION

Frederic Baraga was born on June 29, 1797, in the castle of Malavas, near Doberina, Austria. After receiving a law degree from the University of Vienna in 1821, he went to Laibach, Austria where he was ordained priest September 21, 1823. After the founding in Vienna of the Leopoldine Society for Foreign Missions in 1830, Baraga volunteered for service in the United States and was sent to Cencinnati in 1831. In 1835, he was transferred from the Ottawa Missions to Western Lake Superior. Baraga arrived a La Pointe, the American Fur Company's station on Madeline Island, on July 27, 1835. In his work he visited Grand Portage and Fond du lac. Baraga built the first Roman Catholic Mission at La Pointe, and the first Catholic Chapel, St. Joseph's, was dedicated August 9, 1835.

S2360 Reverend Frederick Baraga Papers page 2

Baraga is well known for his study of the Ojibwe Language, in which he wrote several books, the most famous being Dictionary of the Ochipwe Language.

Baraga died at Marquette, Michigan, on January 19, 1868.

Box Contents

The Baraga papers are divided into three sections. Sections one and two contain correspondence from 1835 to 1847, from and pertaining to Reverend Baraga. Section three contains Baraga's personal diary, about 80% of which is written in German.

The entire collection is either carbon typed copies or photocopies.

Much of sections I & II are written by people other than Reverend Baraga. The following is a list of the prominent people who wrote the correspondence, and significance:

- Ramsay Crooks, President, American Fur Company

- J. Hartley Crawford, Commissioner of Indian Affairs

- Robert Stuart, Acting Superintendent of Indian Affairs

- William Medill, Commissioner of Indian Affairs

- James Olto, U.S. Sub. of Indian Affairs

- James D. Hayes, U.S. Sub. of Indian Affairs

- Henry Schoolcraft, Explorer & Indian Agent

- Rev. Edmund Ely

- Antoina (Antoinette) De Hoeffer, Baraga's Youngest Sister

cg, 1/7/97